…Because food tastes better when your chef is wearing a ball gown.

You should always call a spade a spade. And a swede a swede, especially if you’re talking about a rutabaga and you happen to find yourself in London.

Did you know that the British call a rutabaga a swede? What the hell is that? They also call eggplants aubergines and bathrooms the loo. It’s all a bit mad really. The British also have a fantastic grocery story called Waitrose (on the medium expensive price side of things I’m told) and that’s where I’ve been sourcing most of my stuff.

In an effort to replenish and detoxify my body from the erm excesses of London I decided I needed a hearty pure protein and fiber meal. Rutabaga if you’re afraid of it is actually just like a delicious potato. And Parsnips are so sweet when cooked. Mixing them together creates something very simple but exploding with flavor – a great trick for the vegetable haters in your life because you can just disguise them as potatoes. I added a salty parsley butter which will make any vegetable taste divine.

1. Make the Chimichurri by adding the chopped parsley and 1/2 the garlic together in a bowl. Mash together with a fork and then add the olive oil and a healthy pinch of salt. Taste for garlicyness and add more if you’re intense.

2. Heat a medium sized heavy-bottom skillet over medium high heat. Season the steak on one side heavily with salt and pepper. You will either have one large piece or two small ones- doesn’t really matter. Splash a 1/2 teaspoon of the oil from the Chimichurri into the pan and add the steak, seasoned side down.

3. Season the other side that’s facing up and cook for about 5 minutes and then flip the steak (Do not disturb- that’s how you get that nice crust). Spoon a little Chimichurri onto the steak in the last minute of cooking and flip once more. 5 minutes on each side should give you a really nice medium-rare but always check before serving.

4. Serve with a little bowl of Chimichurri and encourage your guests to dip each bite of meat into it.

Rutabaga and Parsnip with Parsley Butter

Serves 2

You will need:

1 large parsnip

1 large rutabaga

1 Tablespoon

1 Tablespoon chopped parsley

Salt

Method:

1. Bring a medium pot of water to boil.

2. Carefully peel the parsnip and rutabaga and make sure to get ALL the green parts off- these are bitter and fibrous. Chop into small 1/2 cubes.

3. Add to the boiling water and cook for 5-8 minutes, until just soft.

4. Use a strainer to pour out the boiling water, keeping the vegetables in the pot. Simply add the butter and parsley and stir to coat.